The Real Housewives are mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore. This time the claws are pointed at Bravo over their scanty paychecks -- around $3,000 per episode and nothing for reunions and special network appearances. In fact, one Housewife has even gone so far as to compare working for Bravo to "slave labor."

I pity them, really I do. Unfortunately, most of the women in the franchise are locked into contracts with no hope of upping their compensation for regular episodes in the near future. But these wily women have found a way around that technicality: Refusing to fight on the reunion specials unless they get paid.

The Atlanta Housewives were the first to present the network with an ultimatum: Pony up or prepare for the most boring reunion special of all time. It didn't work -- Bravo didn't give in to their demands, and the reunion special sucked.

But speculation is that by following the example of the Atlanta women and adopting a similar strategy, the New York Housewives were able to reach a mutually beneficial deal with Bravo. If you remember, that reunion lasted for three nights, had high ratings, and featured some of the worst fighting in the history of reality television. Apparently, miracles can happen when checks are involved.

With the New Jersey Housewives reunion taping today and tomorrow, it will be interesting to see whether the women duke it out for free (which, after watching so far this season, I wouldn't put it past them) or make the same demands. It might be the best chance the cast members have to get out of debt. But does it take away from the show's "realness"? (Yes, I realize just how ridiculous that question sounds.)